📖 Meaning
Dim, indistinct, or vaguely visible. Used to describe something that appears faintly and unclearly, as if glimpsed through a haze or sensed only half-consciously.
📜 Origin Story
Originates from the Ming dynasty novel 'Jin Ping Mei Cihua' (《金瓶梅词话》) by Lanling Xiaoxiaosheng, Chapter 62. A character describes feeling uneasy when alone in her room, sensing as if someone were faintly present before her eyes. The idiom evokes the impression of perceiving something dimly and unreally, like a shadow one cannot fully grasp.
💡 Example Usage
远处影影绰绰有几个人影在晃动。
In the distance, several figures could be faintly seen moving about.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 影影绰绰
- Pinyin: yǐng yǐng chuò chuò
- Literal Translation: shadow, shadow, vague, vague
- Category: Clarity
- Characters: 4